Roger Goodell having a hard time determining intent on Ndamukong Suh's groin kick

Nov. 28, 2012
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Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh watches from the bench during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field in Detroit, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012. / Carlos Osorio, AP

"Anytime you see a play like that, you want to say, 'Why did it happen?'" Goodell said Tuesday at the Lions' 19th annual Courage House Dinner. "It's hard for us to be able to determine that just from video. Those are the things that sometimes you have to talk to Ndamukong in this case, or the player, but intent is something that's very difficult for us to ever try to make a judgment on."

Goodell said he hasn't spoken personally with Suh about his latest Thanksgiving foot foul, and he's not sure if any other league officials have, but the NFL is still "going through the process of whether it should be a fine."

Earlier this month, Suh was involved in at least his fifth traffic incident as a Lion when he was ticketed for driving without due care and caution in Lathrup Village. He's currently a defendant in two lawsuits and has twice been named the league's dirtiest player in a poll conducted by the Sporting News.

"I think Ndamukong prides himself in what he does on the field, and that's something that you always want to keep that focus as a player," Goodell said. "He also does a lot off the field in a positive way, but they get lost when things happen that can distract from that. That's the one thing that Ndamukong and I have talked about in the past is keep the focus on your playing and what you do in a positive way off the field, and he knows he needs to do that, as every player does."

Both Lions president Tom Lewand and coach Jim Schwartz said Tuesday they agreed with the NFL's decision not to suspend Suh for his kick on Schaub.

Schwartz called the kick inadvertent, and Lewand said, "We didn't feel a suspension was merited, and we're glad it was seen the same way by the NFL."

"What I saw was his head was down and away from that play," Schwartz said. "In my mind, you would have to have eyes in the back of your head to be able to do it (on purpose)."

Lewand downplayed the negative publicity surrounding Suh when asked how much it bothers the organization, but he acknowledged "there is a greater spotlight on him because of his image, his profile."

"And with that comes a greater responsibility," Lewand said. "I think that we've seen an increasing development of his awareness and his responsibility and I think you see that with the fact that he has not had a personal-foul penalty levied against him all year, period."

Goodell didn't directly express any concern about Suh's image, either, but it's clear the defensive tackle has his attention.

"The reality is since (he was ejected for stomping on the arm of Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith) last Thanksgiving, he has not been fined or disciplined from our standpoint," Goodell said. "I know he's working at it and he's trying at it, and he knows he's got to continue to do that. The rules are there and everyone's got to play by those rules, whether you're Ndamukong or any other player. You have to play by the rules, and we expect everyone to do that."